Benchmarking EMC3-EIRENE non-axisymmetric plasma edge simulations based on GPEC and MARS-F plasma response models for KSTAR RMP scenarios

For an edge localized mode (ELM) suppressing resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) KSTAR scenario plasma response GPEC and MARS-F produce perturbed magnetic fields with a similar poloidal spectrum and outer divertor magnetic footprint. As EMC3-EIRENE simulations of the non-axisymmetric scrape off layer (SOL) and divertor heat loads are sensitive to uncertainties in the magnetic footprint geometry, the robustness of the footprints suggests that the subsequent simulations (ongoing) will also be robust to the choice between plasma response codes: GPEC, an ideal MHD model including rotational damping effects and MARS-F, a resistive MHD model. Progress on the comparison of the EMC3-EIRENE simulations to the corresponding experimental data, in support of validating the plasma response and plasma edge models, will also be shown. Currently, the magnetic footprints extend approximately twice as far as the experimental heat flux striation, suggesting a disagreement between the models and experiment, but this is still under investigation. Accurate simulations of the plasma edge for RMP scenarios are critical for ITER to facilitate the choice of an RMP configuration which is not only ELM suppressing but also mediates the divertor heat load. To support that effort, an exploration with respect to RMP phasing of the magnetic footprint width and field line penetration both which affect divertor heat loads, and edge resonant magnitude, X-pt displacement, and kink resonant amplitude, all which correlate with ELM suppression, is being conducted to benchmark these key metrics between the two plasma response codes.